The Chinese zodiac, adopted through much of Asia, is based on a yearly (not monthly) cycle based on the lunar calendar. A new lunar year is assigned to an animal, and it is traditionally felt that children born in a particular year will have characteristics of that animal. This year, the Chinese lunar new year begins January 22, and it will be the Year of the Rabbit.
And why are you reading about this on a Macintosh user group site? Apple just sent out an email message saying you can get “gifts to jumpstart their new year,” complete with one of the cutest versions of an Apple logo you may have ever seen:
Just like the European monthly zodiac (which traces back to Egypt), Chinese zodiac signs are associated with love, success, marriage, and countless other complexities that have inflicted humans for millennia.
If you aren’t a bunny fan, the Year of the Dragon will arrive February 10, 2024.
The Mac (and iPhone, and iPad) have a complete set of Asian zodiac symbols included in emoji, including some variations.
Note: the emoji on this page could be coming from your browser, or from WordPress, or from Google, or — it’s complicated.
| 2023 Rabbit | 🐰🐇 |
| 2024 Dragon | 🐲🐉 |
| 2025 Snake | 🐍 |
| 2026 Horse | 🐴🐎🏇🏻 |
| 2027 Goat | 🐐 |
| 2028 Monkey | 🙈🙉🙊🐵🐒 |
| 2029 Rooster | 🐓🐔 |
| 2030 Dog | 🐶🐕🦮🐩🐕🦺 |
| 2031 Pig | 🐷🐖🐗 |
| 2032 Rat | 🐀 |
| 2033 Ox | 🐂 |
| 2034 Tiger | 🐯🐅 |